


Finding Home

by Goldenpetal13



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: AU modern, Dom!Merlin, Light BDSM, M/M, sub!Arthur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-13 23:49:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3400739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldenpetal13/pseuds/Goldenpetal13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Modern.  Cut off from his family, Arthur gets to find his own way in the world.  And maybe he'll find somewhere to call home.  A place he'll belong.  A place he can just be himself.  And what better place could a sub with the last name of Pendragon  find a dom than the Collared Dragon?  He just wasn't expecting a tone deaf Dragonlord who thinks he can sing, and his two BFFs who happen to be a vampire and a shifter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hope you enjoy this. Totally unbeta'd, all mistakes my own. I don't own Merlin (damn it, it would still be on otherwise).

Despondently staring at his mobile, Arthur wills it to show anything except the blank screen. Today is the day, his half sister Morgana, is getting married to Valiant. He sent her a nice text wishing her well yesterday, but he's not heard anything back.

It just proves to him that the last tie to his family is gone.

When the clock on his mobile reaches eight pm he refuses to mope and instead he gets ready to go out. Its Friday night and he's found a nice place to go to. A place for him to be, well him. And he wishes he could have found it years ago.

It’s also the only BDSM club he’s ever been to that holds a karaoke night. And it’s the only magical BDSM club in London. If only his father could see him now. Not only has Arthur turned out to be gay, a horrendous life style choice, he’s also a submissive. Not that his father knows the last part, he disinherited, and cut Arthur off, when he’d come out to him. Oh, and Arthur has been hanging out in the magic area of London, daring to talk to all manner of magic people. Another huge mark against him, for willingly being around abominations.

The fact that the place is called the Collard Dragon is an endless source of amusement in Arthur’s otherwise bleak and empty life. If a submissive, with a surname of Pendragon, can’t find a dom at the Collard Dragon, where the hell else is he supposed to find one? He’s not really into one night stands, or scenes. He wants to find someone to spend forever with, preferably kneeling at their feet.

After a lifetime of disappointing everyone, over and over again, he wants to find someone who thinks he’s enough. Who’ll accept him for himself. Who won't tell him how useless he is at everything. He’s done everything in his power to prove himself to his father, and nothings worked. He watched as Uther manipulated him, and Morgana, so they were always fighting each other. And he’s so damn tired of fighting for a scrap of affection that’s never going to come his way.

On the off chance he runs into a dom, who happens to be male, and into men, he makes a tiny effort on his appearance before heading for the club.

The Collard Dragon is a huge converted warehouse. The ground floor is an above average pub. One open to everyone, and there are a lot of magic users that go there after work to relax and unwind. It doesn’t operate on any of the BDSM rules, except the ones about being respectful, safe, sane, and consensual. The award winning food is simply a bonus to the already fantastic atmosphere. If you’ve applied for membership, which Arthur has, there are three more levels to the pub, all them for members only. And that’s where Arthur’s headed to this evening.

The first level is the most relaxed, and holds things like Karaoke nights, pub quiz nights, and shows the footy on big wide tv screens. All while having a slight BDSM feel to it. Arthur knows there are rooms that can be adjourned to if you want privacy, or some more exhibitionist types have had sex in the middle of the room. Not that it happens that often.

The second level is more like the clubs Arthur's been to in the past, the rules are tighter there, more strict, and they tend to have parties, with very suggestive music and themes. If he’d been headed there, Arthur would have dressed up more, or brought more appropriate clothes he could change into.

The thrid and last level is one Arthur's only dared scout out with a club approved chaperone. Because the last level operates on the highest and strictest of rules. He’d had to crawl on his hands and knees, and stayed silent unless spoken to, the whole time he was there. It didn’t bother him to do it, but he’d have felt better, and safer, with a dom of his own, one he knows he can trust, and who can read his silent cues.

At the base of the stairs up is a desk with a clerk manning it. He smiles and asks for Arthur’s membership card. Once signed in Arthur gets to choose a club collar for the evening. This shows everyone that he's a sub, and what level of socialising he's interested in. He picks an orange one, signifying he's single, looking, but wanting something long term. And due to the magical nature of the club it gets tuned into Arthur’s safeword, he can say it anywhere in the club, and he’ll be protected, no matter what.

Slipping the collar around his neck, he settles it, and then walks calmly up the stairs. He’s never been to a karaoke night before. The stories he's heard don’t give him high hopes as to how good the singers will be. He just hopes its enough of a distraction from his own life.

He isn’t expecting his ears to be assaulted by the most horrendous caterwauling the second he steps in the main room, he won’t even dignify it with the description of singing. Whoever they are, they’re so bad Arthur can’t even guess at what they’re attempting to sing. On the stage are three people, clinging to one another, sharing the microphone, and swaying out of beat to the music, while attempting to murder everyone with their shrieking.

Standing on the right hand side of the group is a woman, in a tight white dress, and high heeled black boots. Her long brown hair is slightly fuzzy like she’s not brushed it properly. He’s sure he saw her eyes flash yellow, but his eyes are drawn to her wrist, and the orange band showing her to be a dom whose looking for someone long term. Damn, why are all the single doms female, or hetero males?

On the other side of the group is a stupid looking male, he's scruffy, and when his mouth opens, he really does look like he’s dumber than a turnip. Except on his wrist is another orange band. Damn it, Arthur knows he shouldn’t judge books by their covers, but if that guy is gay, then Arthur needs to hand back his gaydar, or whatever the hell the damn thing is called.

Which leaves the guy in the middle. Arthur finds himself staring openly at him. He’s tall. Skinny, or that could be the baggy purple t-shirt he's wearing that’s miles too big for him. What little skin is showing is so pale he almost glows under the lights. A shock of black hair. Ears that look like they were just stuck on, and then left to stick out. Cheekbones so high, Arthur has nothing to compare them to. The barest hint of dark stubble. A smile that makes him appear even more of an imbecile than the turnip dom next to him. And then he realises the guy is staring right at him, and Arthur’s suddenly rooted to the spot.

Being the son of a powerful and wealthy man, Arthur’s grown up surrounded by beautiful people. This man is not even close to those polished, pretty, empty people. This man is anything but polished, though he is pretty, almost beautiful, and he’s smiling this huge, giant smile that seems to fill him up.

When the music cuts out, and the painful cacophony of noise ends, Arthur startles and blinks. He can’t believe he's just stared at a guy for the last few minutes. On stage the man is still staring back, he’s tilted his head and looks thoughtful, if that’s even possible with that stupid smile hovering around his lips. The announcer, rather accurately says, “And finally that dreadful attempt at ‘Dancing Queen’ by Abba is over. So Will, Merlin, and Freya, push off and let some real singers have a go.” The three of them leave the stage laughing and Arthur loses sight of the man.

Finally the announcer’s words sink in and he stands there in shock, because was one of them called, “MERlin?” Oh god, karma, or fate, or someone was having a damn good laugh at Arthur right now. How the hell had he, Arthur Pendragon, ended up in a BDSM club called the Collared Dragon, on Karaoke night, only to have stared at a bloke that had a fifty-fifty chance of being called Merlin? And Arthur doesn’t even know if the guy is a dom, he'd not be able to see any bands on the guy's arms, they’d been behind the other two doms. Not that it looked like the guy was wearing a collar either. And even if the guy was a dom, the chances were extremely low at him being interested in men. Or that he liked subs openly staring like Arthur had just done.

Going over to one of the bars on this level, Arthur slumps against it and orders a brandy. On stage someone starts wailing along to Celine Dion's ‘My Heart Will Go On’, and he begins to regret choosing to come out tonight. If this is what karaoke nights are like, he’s not missed that much. Sitting down on a barstool he knocks back the single shot of brandy, he shudders as it burns down his throat, and then because he’s always been so damn sensible, he gets ready to order a lemonade.

A man's voice behind him says, “I didn’t think our singing was bad enough to drive people to drink.” It might be a deepish voice, but it’s also full of happiness, and Arthur turns around slowly to find the guy with the ears standing there. “Hi,” The man holds out a hand. A hand with an orange band around it’s wrist, “I'm Merlin.”

“Of course you are,” Arthur mutters. He shakes the dom’s hand, “Hello _Mer_ lin, my name’s Arthur. Arthur Pendragon.” Merlin’s hand is warm, and there’s no attempt to prove his manliness by crushing Arthur’s hand. In fact it feels good.

Merlin’s eyes widen, and then he's laughing, “Pendragon? Really?”

“Really,” Arthur deadpans. “Of all the BDSM clubs in London, I had to walk into this one.” Neither of them have let go of the other’s hand, and Arthur hopes Merlin doesn’t take his hand back just yet.

"Must be fate, or destiny then,” Merlin actually steps closer, and as Arthur is sitting on the stool, Merlin has to lean down towards him. “So Arthur Pendragon. Are you going to let me buy you a drink?”

**Author's Note:**

> I should be working on so many other fan fics, and finishing them, sorry, life hasn't been the best, I hope to get there one day :)


End file.
